A Disremberance of Things Past
by LadyofShallot2
Summary: Cross-over between Dr. Who and the Highlander tv series. Originally written for a one-shot challenge. Methos and Donna Noble meet. I will never forgive Russel T. Davis for what he did to Donna. This is my attempt to rectify that.


A DISREMEMBERANCE OF THINGS PAST

"_Memory believes before knowing remembers."_ William Faulkner

A gentle snow had begun to fall on the streets of London and the sun was slipping below the famous skyline as Methos the immortal strolled down the street. He was humming an old Christmas carol and thinking with satisfaction about the shopping he had just completed. While he knew Joe was going to appreciate the sheet music signed by Charlie Parker, he was feeling particularly smug about the rare Egyptian vase of lapis that dated to the reign of Cleopatra he had found to give to MacLeod. It was a rarity and would be a fine addition to Duncan's collection of antiquities.

A moment later the ancient immortal's good humor evaporated as the familiar buzzing in his head indicated the presence of another immortal. He stopped in his tracks and looked around, waiting for the other immortal to come into view. A large form stepped from the shadows. The streetlight illuminating the creeping dark revealed a stocky, muscular man with a good four inches of height on Methos. He had already pulled a large Claymore sword from the tan trench coat he was wearing. "I am Claudius Marcus Lucius Decimus. You are?"

"Busy at the moment," Methos replied. "I'm on my way someplace and I would hate to show up without my head. It is a formal occasion and the fashion police will be there. Can't give them a reason to criticize my ensemble. I don't suppose we could just go our separate ways in the spirit of the Christmas season?"

The Roman laughed. It wasn't a pleasant sound. "I was born two-hundred years before Christ. Draw your sword." Claudius advanced on Methos and swung for his head. Methos drew his broadsword from his black duster and stepped back. "I should have known better than to try to reason with a Centurion." Claudius was driving him back into a nearby alley.

"I know Mum. It is a perfectly good job." Donna Noble was trying and failing to keep the annoyance out of her voice. Hitching her purse and tote bag back on her shoulder with one hand she made a face at the mobile phone she carried in the other hand. "Really Mum, I have the interview tomorrow. I am just popping over to the pub to meet Veena now. I am only going to have one drink! I'll be home in bit. Bye! "

Donna clicked off her phone with more energy than was strictly necessary for a little button and tossed her phone in her purse. Muttering angrily about her mother she stomped down the street, pulling her gloves out of the pockets of her pea coat and putting them on. Donna would be prepared to swear that her mother was being even more smothering than usual ever since the incident with the planets appearing in the sky. Always wanting to know where Donna was and how she was feeling. "Driving me balmy," Donna muttered to herself.

Donna had worked up enough steam that she wasn't really paying as much attention as she should have to her surroundings until she noticed that the street she was on was unfamiliar. Stopping she looked around and tried to get her bearings. That was when she noticed the sound. It was the low ringing sound of steel on steel coupled with the scuffling noise of a fight. Donna looked around uncertainly but didn't see anyone. She took a few steps back before hearing the noise again. After another minute of uncertainty Donna walked in the direction of the sound. It was coming from the alley she had been about to pass. Donna paused and looked into the alley, which was lit by two lights over the two service doors on either building.

"You fight well for one so young." Claudius neatly avoided a sweeping stroke by Methos and gave a powerful thrust toward Methos with his sword. Methos neatly parried and they locked swords.

"What makes you think I am young," Methos asked in an amused tone.

Claudius smirked. "You're British. That makes you young to me, even if you were born during the Tudor dynasty or some similar point in English history." Claudius brought up his knee and drove it into Methos' stomach, sending him sprawling back. Methos rolled, grabbed his sword from the ground and just managed to block the sweeping stroke aimed at his neck. A quick hook by Methos' booted foot to the Roman's ankle made him stumble and allowed Methos to get back on his feet. Claudius recovered his balance and managed to slice his opponent's side with a quick feint and swipe of his sword. Methos dropped his sword and crouched to pick it up. Claudius started to swing for the ancient immortal's head but then yelped in pain. He looked down to see a dagger sticking into his foot.

"Don't let the accent fool you. I'm not that young and I'm not actually English." Methos came up from the crouch he was in and swung his sword in smooth arc that sent the Centurion's head flying.

Donna pressed her hands to her mouth and pressed against the brick wall she was standing near. Her throat still seemed to be too paralyzed to allow the scream that was rising up to get out past her lips. Feeling just a little bit of nervous hysteria taking hold she looked around, half expecting to see cameras aimed on the headless corpse and the other man, who had slumped back to the ground. His back was to Donna but at such an angle that she could see the gash on his side. This broke through the surprise that had rapidly escalated to shock in the in course of the fast fight. She approached with some caution, so focused on his injury and on making sure he didn't swing the sword at her that she didn't notice the eerie white mist rising from the body. Methos hadn't notice her approaching from behind him and was startled when she placed a hand on his arm and said, "That cut looks bad and you just chopped his head off and I don't even know why I am not running off right now but you look like you need help." Donna realized she was babbling but didn't really care at the moment.

Methos looked at her with horror and said, "Back up. Don't touch me." Before he had really finished saying the words the world around them went crazy as the wind picked up and the false lightening of the quickening started. The first bolt went through Donna on its way to Methos, throwing her back and jolting Methos upright. His mouth opened in a soundless scream as his body was buffeted by the chaotic energy of the quickening. Some of the windows in the surrounding buildings exploded into crystal shards. The trash in the dumpster came alive with red tongues of fire from a lightning strike. The electric wires snaking into the building from above sparked. The whirlwind of energy focused on Methos and then abruptly died, leaving him to slump back to the ground with a low groan of pain.

Regaining consciousness was like swimming to the surface of molasses. Donna blinked groggily and noticed she was in a strange car that was moving. That made her sit up and look at the driver. He glanced at her with concerned hazel eyes. "You better sit back and take it easy. That was quite a shock you got."

Donna didn't sit back. She gave an impatient shove of her red hair to get it out of her face, folded her arms and glared at him. "You're telling me! I watch you kill that man, get hit by some kind of weird lightening and then wake up in your car. You pull this car over right now and let me out. I'm not going to be kidnapped by the likes of you!"

Methos raised his eyebrows. "I didn't actually kidnap you. You were hurt and unconscious. I'm bringing you to the hospital. I couldn't exactly summon an ambulance for you."

"I don't want to go the flipping hospital! I want to know who the bloody Hell you are and what the bloody Hell just happened!" Donna's voice went up a few degrees in volume. "You just killed someone and your side isn't bleeding anymore." She stared at the smooth, unblemished skin that showed thought the tear in the fabric of his coat and sweater. She reached out and moved the fabric to get a better look. "How can you not be hurt? " Your side was sliced up!"

Methos gave a shrug of his shoulders. "Just a flesh wound." He glanced over at Donna's apoplectic face and sighed. "Fine. You want the truth? I'm immortal. My side healed because any wound I receive will heal. The other guy back there was immortal too. Immortals can only die if you take our heads. What you saw after I took his head was called the Quickening. When one immortal challenges another we have to fight. It's called the Game. He challenged me so I had to fight. I tried to avoid it but he wasn't exactly the pacifist type."

Donna gave him a look normally reserved for inmates of psych wards. "That is the maddest thing I have ever heard."

"Hey, you wanted the truth. I told you." Methos gave her a sidelong glance. 'It would better if you didn't tell anyone. Not that anyone would believe you but we do try to keep a low profile."

Donna gave him a speculative look. "Well, as mad as that sounded I guess it explains what I saw. Don't worry. I'm not in any hurry to end up in a rubber room. I'm not telling anyone. I'm Donna Noble, by the way. You still haven't told me your name."

Methos hesitated a moment then said, "I'm Methos. Nice to meet you Donna Noble."

Donna smiled. "You even have a funny name. It's nice to meet you Methos. Methos, Methos, that's funny. There is a city called Methos on the planet Zeist. Near the Medusa Cascade. Big city." A confused expression crossed Donna's face. "Wait. What did I say? What was.." Donna grabbed her head and bent over.

Methos looked over at her in alarm. "Hang on Donna. We're almost at the hospital. I think you need a doctor."

Donna put out her hands to brace herself on the grey dashboard. Her ragged breathing was the only noise besides the car engine for a moment. "A doctor? No, that's it. I need the Doctor. Oh, God. I don't want to. I remember." She squeezed her eyes closed for a moment as a myriad of emotions crossed her face then opened her eyes and looked at Methos. "I can't go to the hospital. I don't need a doctor. I need the Doctor."

"Doctor Who?" Methos asked in a puzzled tone.

"Exactly. Listen to me. I don't have much time." Donna tone was urgent. "Taking me to the hospital won't help. I need you to take me home. I live in Chiswick." She gave him the address. "My mum and my granddad. I think they know. They need to find the Doctor. Tell them Martha Jones can call him."

Wilfred Mott was sitting in the wood-paneled kitchen enjoying a cup of tea and reading the paper when the knocking at the front door started. "Dad, can you get that? I'm on the phone," his daughter Sylvia called. Wilfred sighed, put the paper down, and headed for the door. He opened the door to the sight of a tall, thin man with dark hair and hazel eyes kneeling on the doorstep and cradling his granddaughter in his lap.

"I hope you're her grandfather. I could use some help. She's burning up." Methos looked up at Wilfred. "She said she was remembering. She said she needs the Doctor. Not a doctor. The Doctor."

After the whirlwind of getting Donna from the doorstep to her bed, not mention dealing with Sylvia Noble's accusations, and providing a somewhat editorialized story of what had happened Methos was ready to leave. In spite of all that, his curiosity kept him in his seat in the lounge. Wilfred and Sylvia were too worried about Donna to ask him to leave. From their anxious conversation and argument about contacting the Doctor it was clear to him that something odd was happening.

"Martha is going to call him now," Wilfred announced as he came back into lounge. It was completely dark now and the lamps cast shadows on the white walls and furniture of the lounge. Methos noticed the pictures of Donna on display. "It won't be much longer now Sylvia. He'll come." Wilfred put a comforting arm around his daughter's shoulders.

"He had better. I am going to give him a piece of my mind when he does." Sylvia said darkly. "It is all his fault. Donna was fine before she met him." Methos sensed this was a common refrain where Donna's mother was concerned. He was distracted from this thought by a grinding noise.

"It's him!" Wilfred got up and headed for the front door.

Methos followed after Wilfred. They were in time to see that the grinding noise was being made by a blue police call box. Oddly it seemed to be fading in and out, going from a solid appearance to insubstantial. In a moment it appeared completely solid. The doors were flung open and a gangly man in a brown, pin-striped suit stepped out. He looked around and his eyes stopped on Methos. The ancient immortal's eyes widened as he was hit by a sensation that reminded him the buzz he usually felt at the approach of another immortal but was somehow different. As if it were somehow on a different frequency.

A grin broke out on the Doctor's face as he bounded forward. "Awww this is brilliant, just brilliant!" He held out his hand to Methos and eagerly shook hands with the immortal. "You're an immortal and an old one to judge by the feel of that quickening of yours."

Methos raised his eyebrows. "How do you know that? Who are you? You don't feel quite like an immortal."

The Doctor's grin just got broader. "That's cause I'm not an immortal. I'm a timelord. Let's just say that I've lived a long time myself. I've heard of Immortals but I've never actually met one before. It seems like timelords and immortals share a common energy signature. Fantastic!"

Methos shook his head. "This makes no sense. What do you mean, timelord? That trick with the police call box, what was that?"

The Doctor bounced on the soles of his feet. "Well, why don't you go look in it?" He snapped his fingers and the doors to the TARDIS opened.

Methos walked over and went inside. He came out with a startled expression on his face. Then he walked around the outside of the TARDIS. Then he went inside again and backed out. "It's bigger on the inside," he exclaimed.

The Doctor chuckled. "Everyone says that. That is the TARDIS. Stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space."

Methos shook his head. "I've lived for over five thousand years but I haven't ever seen anything like that!"

The Doctor's expression sobered and his brown eyes darkened. "That's because she's the last of her kind." He shook his head. "Anyway it is great meeting you but I've got to see Donna." He turned and looked at Wilfred and Sylvia. "Where is she?"

A few minutes later the Doctor straightened up from his examination of Donna and took his glasses off. "She's burning up. She remembered." He looked at Methos.

"What happened?" Methos told him and a thoughtful expression appeared on the Doctor's face.

"It must have been getting hit with the energy of the Quickening. It acted the same way the ray from the Dalek's gun did. Activated the knowledge she got from my mind during the metacrisis and she remembered. I'm going to have to wipe her memories again."

Methos shook his head. "Wait. What exactly is a metacrisis and can you really wipe her memories?"

The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, the metacrisis is a long story. In a nutshell, I survive by regenerating when I die. Right after a regeneration I can replace a body part if I need to. I lost my hand shortly after my last regeneration. I kept it and then when I was regenerating the last time I put the excess energy into the hand. Then Donna ended up touching the hand and viola! Instant Human-Timelord metacrisis. She took my mind into her own head but that's a timelord consciousness. The knowledge was killing her. So I wiped her memories. Now the shock from the quickening activated them again because there is no way to really wipe a memory clean without destroying the brain, just block them. "

"Will it work," Wilfred asked anxiously. "If you wipe her memory again will she be okay? Or will this happen again?"

"Oh, she'll be fine." The Doctor glanced at Methos and raised an eyebrow. "As long as she isn't holding on to any more immortals during a quickening she'll be tip top. I've got to wipe her memories now before any more damage is done."

Wilfred reached out and smoothed a hand along Donna's burning brow. "She hasn't been happy these last few months. Not like when she was with you. She did so many wonderful things while she traveled with you. Now she is just drifting. Like she is looking for something."

The Doctor looked at Donna and then Wilfred. The full weight of his years seem to show in his eyes. "There's no other way. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

The Doctor leaned back over Donna and gently took her face in his hands. "Donna. Donna it's me."

Donna's eyes flew open. She looked around and then focused on the Doctor. "Don't you do it. I can't go back. Do you hear me? I just can't." Her voice was thick with tears.

The Doctor shook his head. "It's the only way. You know that Donna." He gently stoked her hair.

"No it's not!" Donna's voice was defiant. "I can't go back. I can't just be nobody and do nothing again. I'd rather burn up! I'd rather die!"

"Naw. You wouldn't." The Doctor smiled sadly at her. "You're Donna Noble and you're brilliant. You were meant to do great things and you were meant to live a brilliant life. Maybe not rattling around in the old TARDIS with me but you will still do brilliant things." His eyes slid over to look at Methos and then went back to Donna. "You were meant to know brilliant people too. You've got your family and friends and you are going to be fine."

A few tears slid down Donna's cheeks. "I hate it when you go and make sense. I'm gonna miss you. Doesn't matter what you do. I've been missing you even though you took those memories and I'm gonna keep missing you spaceman. You just remember what I told you. You need someone to stop you sometimes."

The Doctor gave a short laugh. "Nobody will do a better job at that than you. I've been missing you too. We made quite a pair, didn't we?" He smoothed a hand over her forehead and she closed her eyes.

He closed his eyes to concentrate on the task at hand but was interrupted by Methos grasping his wrist. "When you wipe her memories, can you leave her memories of tonight? Her memories of me and the quickening? I have an idea that might help her."

The Doctor looked at Methos with raised eyebrows. "I can. I can leave her memories of today in place until the point where she remembered me. She'll just think she passed out again and you brought her home. I wouldn't think you would want her to remember though. She can be very persistent. She'll probably come looking for you."

Methos nodded. "She isn't going to have to come looking, I have a plan."

The next night, Donna, Wilfred and Sylvia were eating dinner at the kitchen table when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it." Donna got up from the table and walked to the door. She opened it to reveal Methos standing on the other side, along with an older man who had salt and pepper hair and was leaning on a cane.

"It's you! You came back!" Donna smiled and stepped aside so Methos and his friend could come into the house. "Didn't think I would be seeing you again."

"Oh, he has a way of turning up, like a bad penny. Helps if you keep beer around." Joe grinned. He stuck his hand out to Donna. "Name's Joe Dawson. Methos told me about you two meeting last night. I've got a proposition you might be interested in hearing."


End file.
